If you enjoy watermelon, this is your new summer salad. This simple watermelon salad recipe features classic Mediterranean flavors like tangy crumbled feta and fresh mint. Roughly chopped pistachios, lightly pickled shallots and a drizzle of olive oil make it taste incredible.

The layering method might make this salad look fancy, but it’s easy to make and yields a stunning display. Grab your largest platter for this recipe so the ingredients can be evenly distributed and scooped without stirring. The composition of this salad helps avoid the watery watermelon, messy-looking feta situation that plagues many watermelon salads.

This watermelon salad was inspired by one we tasted in Tampa last summer. I loved the pistachios sprinkled on top. They offered the perfect crunch, and the green color contrasted beautifully with the bright red watermelon.

I’m still obsessed with the vinegar-soaked shallot that I used on this Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce, and it worked just as well here. The shallots are lightly pickled, so they’re tangy but less pungent, and a drizzle of the leftover vinegar brightens up the whole salad.

Isn’t it lovely? This beautiful salad is sure to be a hit at your summer parties.

How to Choose Your Watermelon

To make the best watermelon salad, start with a great watermelon. It’s a bummer to slice into a watermelon and find pale, flavorless fruit. I’m partial to the Sugar Baby heirloom variety that you see in these photos. Sugar Babies are almost solid, dark green on the outside, often nearly seedless, with a wonderfully sweet flavor.

When you choose a watermelon, look for one that is:

• Heavy for its size
• Dull, not shiny
• Evenly shaped
• Darker green, with a yellow to orange “field spot” that indicates it sufficiently ripened on the vine (the stronger the yellow-orange color, the better)

Uses for Leftover Watermelon

For this recipe, you’ll need half a small watermelon (3 pounds, or about 4 cups cubed). Our toddler loves watermelon, so she takes care of the leftovers for us.

If you don’t have a watermelon-obsessed tot in your household, here are some more ways to enjoy watermelon:

• Make watermelon juice, so easy!
• Turn your watermelon juice into watermelon margaritas or watermelon mimosas
• Try this Tropical Fruit Salad made with cantaloupe or honeydew, watermelon, pineapple and lime
• Make another watermelon-focused salad, like this Arugula & Watermelon Salad with Kalamata olives, or my fancy restaurant-style Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce

Watermelon Salad Serving Suggestions

This refreshing watermelon salad could inspire a full summertime spread. Try serving it with other warm-weather favorites that won’t heat up the house, like Caprese sandwiches or grilled options like pizza or veggie burgers. For complementary flavors, look for recipes using fresh mint, basil or pesto. Here are a few of my top recommendations:

• Caprese Pasta Salad
• Favorite Veggie Burgers
• Green Goddess Tortellini Salad
• Grilled Pizza—try Arugula-Almond Pesto Pizza on the grill!
• Vegetarian BLT Sandwich

Watch How to Make Watermelon Salad

More Salads to Make This Summer

These refreshing salads make the best of summer produce like ripe berries, tomatoes and cucumber.

• Easy Tomato Salad
• Fattoush Salad with Mint Dressing
• Layered Panzanella
• Seasonal Spinach Salad with raspberries or strawberries
• Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle

Please let me know how your watermelon salad turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.

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Watermelon Salad

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Yield: 6 to 8 side servings
• Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews

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This classic watermelon salad recipe features crumbled feta and fresh mint. Lightly pickled shallots and chopped pistachios make it amazing! Recipe yields 6 to 8 side salads.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-to-large shallot or ½ small red onion, sliced very thinly (about ½ cup)
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt
• 3 pounds ripe seedless watermelon (about ½ small round watermelon or 4 cups cubed), cut into ¾″ cubes
• ½ cup crumbled feta (about 2 ounces)
• ⅓ cup roasted and salted pistachios, chopped
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Small handful of fresh mint and/or basil leaves, torn if large, for garnish
• Flaky salt or kosher salt, to taste

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Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the sliced shallot with the vinegar and fine salt. Toss to combine, and place in the refrigerator to lightly pickle while you prepare the remaining ingredients (at least 10 minutes).
2. Spread the cubed watermelon over a large platter or shallow serving bowl. Arrange the pickled shallot on top, and spoon the leftover vinegar over the salad. Sprinkle the feta and pistachios on top. 
3. Drizzle the olive oil all over. Finish the salad with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and flaky salt. This salad is best enjoyed within an hour or two, but will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes

Prepare in advance: Since watermelon starts releasing moisture once it comes into contact with salt, your best bet is to arrange the cubed watermelon across a platter and store everything separately until it’s close to serving time. Or, at minimum, wait to sprinkle flaky salt on top until it’s time to serve.

Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the feta. You might like some roughly chopped, pitted Kalamatas in its place.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Salad
• Method: By hand
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

The post Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Bored by your dinner plans? This green goddess tahini will liven up any basic meal! I’m always so happy to have it in the refrigerator to serve as an appetizer or snack.

A dollop or two brings together random leftovers and simple meals made with veggies, greens, whole grains or beans. You can also spread it onto your sandwiches or wraps. Green goddess tahini is here to save the day. You’ll find many more serving suggestions below.

This recipe was inspired by a similar dip that I grabbed at Whole Foods before hosting girls’ night (Falafel King brand). A couple of my friends follow dairy-free diets, so I’m always looking for fun options that satisfy our requirements. As the night went on, we all fell in love with this vegan dip—it’s creamy, rich yet fresh, and satisfying. It’s irresistible.

So, I combined my Best Tahini Sauce (truly the best) with the herbs from my Easy Green Goddess Dressing, and here you have it. You can make this recipe with any combination of cilantro, parsley, basil, dill and/or mint. Add a small handful of fresh tarragon if you can find it for that characteristic green goddess flavor. This dip (or sauce) is lovely in any season. I hope you fall in love with it!

How to Make Green Goddess Tahini

You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s how it works and why. You’ll want to fill a bowl with ice and water while you wait on step one.

1. Soak freshly minced garlic and lemon juice for 10 minutes. This step infuses the lemon juice with fresh garlicky flavor, and it’s worth the wait. Otherwise, we’d blend garlic directly into the sauce, but I find that the garlic continues to become more intense as time goes on and eventually tastes harsh. Always use fresh garlic, not pre-minced garlic from a jar.
2. Strain the garlic out of the lemon juice. This is easy to do with a flexible spatula and a fine sieve.
3. Combine the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add the infused lemon juice, tahini, herbs, salt and a little pinch of cumin. For these photos, we used 1/2 cup parsley, 1/4 cup cilantro and 1/4 cup basil for our fresh herbs.
4. Blend until the mixture is a smooth green and the herbs have broken into tiny flecks.
5. Add ice-cold water, two tablespoons at a time, while running the food processor. You’ll notice that at first the sauce thickens, but then loosens into a beautifully creamy sauce. Cold water is key when making anything with tahini; it helps yield a pale white (vs. yellow), extra creamy sauce.

Watch How to Make Green Goddess Tahini Sauce

Green Goddess Tahini Serving Suggestions

This recipe can serve as a dip or sauce. Offer it as a creamy vegan appetizer, like you would hummus. In fact, it would be a great addition to a full spread with Mediterranean dips like hummus, baba ganoush, and feta dip.

Spread it onto a fresh sandwich or wrap, like this Green Goddess Hummus Sandwich. Or use it to bring together a healthy bowl with veggies, beans and whole grains, like this Farmers’ Market Bowl with Green Goddess Sauce.

Here’s a short list of components that go well with green goddess tahini:

• Chickpeas
• Crackers, crostini, pita wedges or pita chips
• Falafel
• Greens, like arugula or spring greens
• Raw vegetables: Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, fennel, etc.
• Roasted vegetables: Roasted asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, Delicata squash, green beans or these Colorful Roasted Vegetables
• Whole grains, like farro, quinoa or wild rice

More Fresh Dips & Sauces

These herbed dips will brighten any meal! I have many more dips, dressing and sauce recipes here.

• Creamy Avocado Dip
• Green Goddess Hummus
• Homemade Ranch Dressing
• Tzatziki
• Zhoug! (Spicy Cilantro Sauce)

Please let me know how your recipe turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you, and I’m eager to hear how you serve this dip.

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Green Goddess Tahini Dip

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup
• Diet: Vegan

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews

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Serve this green goddess tahini as a dip or drizzle it as a sauce! This delightful vegan dip is a great appetizer with crudités, crackers or pita wedges. Green goddess tahini livens up basic vegetables and makes any meal more exciting. Recipe yields a generous 1 cup.

Ingredients

• 4 medium-to-large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup tahini
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh herbs (tender stems are fine): use cilantro, parsley, basil, dill and/or mint
• Optional: Up to 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• Pinch of ground cumin
• 5 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water

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Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic and lemon juice. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, to give the garlic time to infuse the lemon juice with flavor.
2. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl of a food processor. Press the garlic solids with a spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the garlic.
3. Add the tahini, herbs, salt and cumin to the food processor. Blend until the herbs are tiny green flecks, scraping down the sides and bottom of the food processor as necessary. 
4. While running the food processor, drizzle in water 2 tablespoons at a time, scraping down the sides and bottom of the food processor as necessary. After about 5 to 6 tablespoons, you should have a lovely, creamy green sauce. It will thicken further as it cools.
5. If desired, thin with additional water for a more drizzly sauce, at which point, you may want to adjust as necessary. (If you’d like more tang, add more lemon, or for more overall flavor, add another pinch of salt.) Your tahini sauce is ready to serve! Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 week. The tahini may thicken with time; whisk in additional cold water to thin as necessary.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my Best Tahini Sauce and Easy Green Goddess Salad Dressing. 

Serving suggestions: Serve with raw or roasted vegetables, like carrots, bell peppers, celery, cucumber, broccoli or tomato. Try it with toasted pita wedges, pita chips, whole grain crackers, or crostini. These are only a few uses, go wild with it!

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Dip
• Method: Food processor
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

The post Green Goddess Tahini Dip appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This Mediterranean bean salad is one of my all-time favorite salads and sides. Bold claim, I know, but I can back it up. I’ve been loving this recipe for ten years running now!

This salad is crisp and satisfying, fresh and full of bright Mediterranean flavors. The recipe features hearty kidney beans and chickpeas, which balance crisp cucumber, celery and red onion. The remaining simple ingredients—lemon and olive oil, garlic and lots of fresh leafy herbs—yield truly irresistible results.

This Mediterranean-style salad is perfect for spring picnics, summer potlucks and cozy fall get-togethers. It’s a crowd-pleasing salad or side dish that suits most special diets, too. The recipe is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.

With how quickly this salad comes together, it’s an easy addition to your weekend menu! It’s a simple chop, whisk and stir situation that’s ready in about 20 minutes. I hope this dish becomes one of your standby recipes, too.

How This Recipe Developed

Back in 2013, I found creative relief from a not-so-interesting office job in books like Ethnic Cuisine by Elisabeth Rozin. On the especially tough days, I treated myself to lunch at The Mediterranean Deli in Oklahoma City. It was my safe haven, a place where I could catch up with my favorite blogs while I waited for a delicious meal. I always walked out the door with a happy belly, feeling like everything was a little more right with the world.

I often miss their kidney bean salad, which was so much more exciting than it sounds. I found a recipe for a Lebanese bean salad in Ms. Rozin’s book that seemed similar. I tweaked it quite a bit, so I’m not confident that it qualifies as Lebanese. I omitted the tomatoes and added chickpeas, celery and garlic. It’s broadly Mediterranean in flavor profile.

If you’re looking for the lemon-parsley hummus that I originally shared with this recipe, here’s a PDF. Or, make my ultra-creamy hummus recipe and add up to 3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Watch How to Make Mediterranean Bean Salad

More Mediterranean-Style Salads to Make

Consider serving these salads with falafel, hummus or baba ganoush. Check out even more bean salads here.

• Cucumber Tomato Salad with Greek Dressing
• Favorite Chickpea Salad
• Fattoush Salad with Mint Dressing
• Mediterranean Tomato & Feta Dip
• Tabbouleh

Please let me know how your bean salad turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you.

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Mediterranean Bean Salad

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 6
• Diet: Vegan

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 92 reviews

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This Mediterranean-style bean salad recipe is delightfully crisp and satisfying. Its fresh flavors include kidney beans, chickpeas, lemon, garlic and leafy herbs. This healthy salad is vegan and gluten free, but mostly just delicious! Recipe yields about six 1-cup servings.

Ingredients

• 2 cans red kidney beans (15 ounces each), rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked kidney beans
• 1 can chickpeas (15 ounces), rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 small red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, sliced in half or thirds lengthwise and chopped (about ¾ cup)
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• ¾ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup lemon juice (about 1 ½ lemons)
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• Small pinch red pepper flakes

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Instructions

1. In a serving bowl, combine the prepared kidney beans, chickpeas, onion, celery, cucumber, parsley and dill.
2. Make the lemon dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper flakes until well blended. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until combined.
3. Serve immediately for the most flavor, or let it marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of hours or longer. Leftovers will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days. If necessary, wake up leftovers with a little sprinkle of salt or drizzle of lemon juice.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Ethnic Cuisine: How to Create the Authentic Flavors of Over 30 International Cuisines by Elisabeth Rozin. 

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Salad
• Method: By hand
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

The post Mediterranean Bean Salad appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Let’s make homemade caponata! This classic Sicilian appetizer or side dish is perfect for late summer meals. This recipe combines roasted (not fried) eggplant with sautéed bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, olives and capers. Red wine vinegar and honey make it irresistibly tangy and sweet. If you generally enjoy these bold flavors, you’re going to love caponata.

Since international travel is largely off the table, I’ve been traveling vicariously through my food. This caponata is the perfect example. I’ve yet to make my way to Sicily to sample authentic caponata, but learning to make this dish has deepened my desire to explore the island. Mark my words, I’ll get there someday.

Caponata recipes vary from region to region and household to household. This recipe is where I landed. I took some cooking cues from my ratatouille recipe, which also features roasted eggplant stirred into a simmering tomato sauce. Caponata’s flavors are even deeper and more complex largely due to the intense agrodolce factor, or the interplay between sweet (honey and raisins) and sour (vinegar and capers).

I can’t claim this recipe is entirely authentic, but I hope it offers you a little taste of Sicily.

How to Serve Caponata

Caponata is a fun and versatile dish whether you serve it as an appetizer, a side dish or a light meal. Traditionally, caponata was served alongside fish or meat dishes. Caponata offers bold, lively flavors that will complement grilled entrées and late summer feasts, and it packs well for picnics.

Caponata is a great make-ahead dish. To give the flavors time to mingle, let it chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or ideally, a full day. I prefer my caponata warmed or at room temperature, but some enjoy it cold. I believe caponata would freeze well for later if you’d like to preserve a taste of late summer. Bottom line—do as you please!

Watch How to Make Caponata

Wondering what to eat with caponata? Here are some suggestions:

• Crostini offers the perfect base for caponata since it’s crisp and sturdy (pita chips or crackers would work in a pinch)
• Cheese plates
• Olives or Torn Olives with Almonds, Celery & Parmesan
• Raw tomato and herb-based salads, like Caprese Salad, Easy Tomato Salad, Panzanella or even Fattoush
• Moving further from convention, caponata goes well with improvised meals of pasta, eggs or sandwiches

Some Brief Caponata History

For context, Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, located just south of Italy. Over many centuries, Sicily was invaded by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans (French) and Spaniards. Each culture left a mark on Sicilian cuisine.

In my research, I’ve learned that caponata is as diverse as the history of Sicily. Caponata inherited eggplant and its sweet and sour (agrodolce) flavor from the Arabs, olives from the Greeks, and tomatoes from Italy (or are they from Spanish aristocrats?). The recipe seems to have drawn inspiration from vegetable dishes of Spain (pisto manchego) and France (ratatouille) as well. Even the roots of the name caponata are highly debated.

Recommended Reading on Caponata & Sicilian Cuisine

• A History of the Sicilian Caponata by Clifford A. Wright
• Eating the Arab Roots of Sicilian Cuisine by Adam Leith Gollner
• Eggplant Caponata: History of a Traditional Dish by Brunella Farina
• Caponata, a mosaic of foods from Sicily by Bill St. John
• The Medieval Beginnings of Sicilian Cuisine by Clifford A. Wright

How to Make Caponata

You’ll find the full recipe below, but here’s the gist:

1. Roast the eggplant. Traditionally, caponata is made with fried eggplant. Since eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge, I’ve significantly lightened up this dish by roasting the eggplant in a few tablespoons of oil instead. Roasted eggplant is golden, caramelized and beautifully suited for caponata. No need to salt the eggplant beforehand.
2. Prepare and cook the onion, celery and bell pepper. Since the eggplant requires about 30 minutes in the oven, we’ll have time to chop these vegetables and get them going.
3. Add garlic, followed by crushed tomatoes. We’ll sauté the garlic just long enough to enhance its flavor before pouring in the tomatoes.
4. Then add olives, raisins, vinegar, capers, honey, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. This is a lot to add at once—you can combine all of these in a bowl in advance to streamline this step.
5. Stir in the roasted eggplant, followed by a handful of fresh herbs. Almost done! Now you can tweak the flavors to make your caponata taste just right. If you have the time, let the caponata chill in the fridge for several hours, or overnight, before serving. I love it freshly made, too, though.

More Eggplant Recipes to Enjoy

• Baba Ganoush
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Roasted Summer Vegetables
• Ratatouille
• Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Orzo Pasta

As always, please let me know how you like your caponata in the comments! I love hearing from you.

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Caponata

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 side servings
• Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 67 reviews

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Learn how to make homemade caponata with this recipe! This boldly flavored Sicilian appetizer or side dish is perfect for late summer meals. Recipe yields about 6 side servings.

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 smallish eggplants (about 1 ¾ pounds), cut into 1-inch cubes
• ½ teaspoon fine salt, divided, to taste
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 can (14 ounces) crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• ¼ cup pitted green olives (ideally Castelvetrano), roughly chopped
• ¼ cup raisins, red or golden
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, to taste
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon honey or sugar, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, flat-leaf parsley and/or basil
• Homemade Crostini, optional, for serving

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the eggplant from sticking to it.
2. Place the cubed eggplant on the prepared pan. Sprinkle it with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, and promptly toss to coat (some of the eggplant pieces will be more saturated with oil than the others, and that’s ok). Roast the eggplant in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring halfway, until deeply golden.
3. In the meantime, warm the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery. Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and about 10 twists of black pepper. Cook until the onions are tender and just starting to turn golden, about 9 to 12 minutes, stirring often. 
4. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the olives, raisins, vinegar, capers, honey, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the roasted eggplant and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in most of the fresh herbs, reserving a small handful for garnish. Remove the pot from the heat.
6. Adjust to taste to find your desired balance of tangy-sweet-spicy-salty. Add more vinegar (by the tablespoon), honey (by the teaspoon), red pepper flakes (I like at least ¼ teaspoon more, but I like spice), and/or salt (for more overall flavor). Transfer it to a serving bowl and top with the remaining herbs.
7. For best flavor, allow the caponata to rest at room temperature for an hour, or longer in the refrigerator. Serve warm or at room temperature (some even enjoy it chilled), with crostini if desired. Caponata will keep for about 5 days, covered, in the fridge. I suspect it would freeze well for several months, too.

Notes

Change it up: Aside from the eggplant and tomatoes, the vegetables here are flexible—you could add an extra bell pepper or omit the bell pepper entirely. You could add some carrot or zucchini or yellow squash. If you don’t like raisins, leave them out. Not all caponata recipes call for them, anyway. You might enjoy pine nuts sprinkled on top, which is another regional variation.

Make it vegan: Substitute sugar for the honey.

Make it gluten free: This dish is gluten free, as long as you serve it with gluten-free accompaniments.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Appetizer or side dish
• Method: Cooked
• Cuisine: Sicilian

The post Caponata appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Finally! I’ve figured out how to make the perfect homemade mojito. Mojitos are bubbly rum cocktails that taste minty-fresh, citrusy and a little sweet. Club soda stretches out the flavors to create an afternoon-worthy sipper. Mojitos are ultra refreshing on warm days, and I feel like I’m on vacation every time I get my hands on one.

Mojitos originated in Cuba and I hope to taste a real one someday. We enjoyed Cuban-style mojitos in Miami over a long Valentine’s weekend earlier this year. Mojitos happen to be the only cocktail my husband will drink (he’s usually more of a beer and wine guy). I studied the bartenders’ methods while we were there so I could learn how to make them at home.

At Old’s Havana, they lined up highball glasses all the way down the bar, added a generous spoonful of sugar to each, followed by several sprigs of fresh mint (or yerba buena, as they call it). They mixed the mojitos in the glasses by the order, garnishing them with real sugar cane. I swizzled my drink and swayed to the beat of lively Latin string music playing just a few feet away. I honestly don’t know if it was an authentic or manufactured Miami experience, but it was magical nonetheless.

Outside of Miami, great mojitos can be hard to come by. Many bars don’t keep fresh mint on hand so they’ll turn down the request, and my own homemade attempts over the years have been lackluster. Now that I’ve studied and practiced my mojito technique, I’m excited to share my mojito recipe with you today!

Turns out, you just need five basic ingredients (mint, lime, sugar, rum and club soda) and a few simple tips to make the best mojito you’ve ever had. You won’t even need a shaker or simple syrup for this classic mojito recipe. Cheers!

Mojito Ingredients

Fresh Mint

Use the freshest, most beautiful mint you can find. If your mint is looking sad and wilted, you can try resuscitating it in a bowl of ice water for ten minutes. That usually perks it back up. Save the most beautiful sprigs for garnishing your mojitos.

Spearmint is my favorite mint variety for mojitos. As a plus, it’s the easiest type of mint to find at grocery stores (if you see ambiguously labeled “mint,” it’s probably spearmint). Spearmint is sweeter and more mellow than peppermint. Peppermint is loaded with menthol, which can give your mojito a strange cooling mouthwash effect. If you love to garden, consider growing mojito mint (mentha x villosa), which originated in Cuba and is considered the most authentic mint for mojitos.

Sugar

I use fine cane sugar in my mojitos, and it’s easy to adjust to taste. Most of the mojitos I’ve ordered at bars are too sweet for my liking, which is yet another reason why I love making mojitos at home. Some recipes call for simple syrup instead of  sugar, but I actually like the texture of plain sugar in mojitos—the occasional sugar granule is a sweet surprise!

Rum

For a classic mojito, you absolutely want to use white rum, also known as clear, light or blanco. True Cuban rum is impossible to buy in the States due to the embargo, so we’ll make do with other Caribbean rums. Some of the best rums for mojitos are El Dorado 3 Years, Plantation 3 Stars, Flor de Caña, or of course, Bacardi.

Lime

Fresh lime juice is the only way to go! Reserve your most lovely green lime and slice it into rounds to garnish your mojitos.

Club Soda

We’ll top off our ice-filled glasses with club soda. Bubbly club soda transforms the intense flavors of rum, mint and lime into an easy sipper. Any club soda or plain sparkling water will do. Lately, I’ve been loving Topo Chico, which is not traditional but offers tons of tiny, persistent bubbles and no funny aftertaste.

Watch How to Make Mojitos

Suggested Mojito Equipment

Mojitos really are easy to make, especially when you have these tools (these links are affiliate links):

• Muddler
• Citrus Juicer
• Measuring Jigger
• Cocktail spoon
• Wide glass straws

How to Make the Best Mojito

You’ll find the full recipe below. Here are a few tips for best results: 

Select sturdy, thick-bottomed glassware. We’re mixing the drink in the glass and I’ve never had any problems doing so. Treat it with care, though, and don’t use Mom’s crystal.

Don’t muddle excessively. It’s tempting to muddle your mint into tiny pieces as you hope for maximally minty flavor. I know, I’ve done it myself (here’s proof). In fact, your mojito will taste better if you don’t overdo it, and the texture will be more enjoyable without tons of tiny mint bits floating around.

Adjust to taste. The recipe as written yields my ideal mojito, but please tweak it to suit your taste buds. Use a little less rum for a less boozy sipper.  Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter drink (our mojitos in Miami likely used between 2 teaspoons and 1 tablespoon of sugar). Or, omit the sugar entirely for a no-sugar cocktail (you might prefer some extra lime juice, which helps cut alcohol’s sharpness).

Gently smack your mint garnish before using. You think I’m kidding? Nope! We’re going to save one beautiful sprig of mint to garnish our drink. As a final touch, gently clap it between your hands to release some of those fragrant mint oils. Then, slide it into your drink with the top of the sprig staying above the surface. The fragrance will make your drink taste even more gloriously minty.

Mojito Variations

Add a dash or two of bitters: We were surprised to find Angostura bitters floating at the top of some of our Miami mojitos. I really like how they make a simple mojito taste subtly more complex. If you have bitters at home, it’s definitely worth a try.

Make it fruity: Muddle several slices of juicy, ripe fruit with your mint. For a tropical spin, try mango, pineapple or even kiwi. Or, you could try berries (strawberries, raspberries or blackberries), peaches or cherries. The sky’s the limit, really.

Try cucumber: Mojitos magically become even more refreshing when you muddle in a few chunks of peeled cucumber, as shown here.

Add basil and lemon: We’re getting pretty far from convention here, but I enjoyed this lemon-basil mojito variation.

More Classic Cocktails to Enjoy

Here are a few more refreshing cocktail recipes that are lovely on warm days. Check out my summer cocktails roundup for even more.

• Aperol Spritz
• Bee’s Knees
• Mint Julep
• Moscow Mule
• Red Sangria
• Tom Collins

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Classic Mojito

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 5 minutes
• Yield: 1 cocktail

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews

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Learn how to make classic mojitos at home with this foolproof recipe! These not-too-sweet mojitos are minty-fresh, fizzy and delicious. You’ll just need white rum, club soda, fresh lime and mint, and sugar. Recipe as written makes 1 cocktail.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, to taste
• 4 leafy sprigs of fresh mint, each about 5 to 6 inches long
• 2 ounces white rum
• ¾ ounce lime juice 
• Ice
• Club soda or sparkling water (I like Topo Chico)
• Entirely optional: 1 to 2 drops of Angostura bitters
• 1 lime round, for garnish

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Instructions

1. In a sturdy, heavy-bottomed, tall cocktail glass, add the sugar and 3 sprigs of the mint (we’ll reserve the last sprig for garnish). 
2. Muddle the mint with the sugar about 5 to 10 times, until the mint is very fragrant (not so much that the mint completely falls apart). 
3. Pour in the rum and the lime juice, and gently stir a few times to help dissolve the sugar. Fill the glass with ice. 
4. Fill the glass with club soda nearly to the top. Gently stir in a circular motion to combine, then use your spoon to drag some of the muddled mint higher up into the glass.
5. Taste, and stir in more sugar if desired. Add a drop or two of bitters, if desired. 
6. To garnish, place the lime round in the glass. Gently clap the remaining sprig of mint between your palms (this releases some of the oils) and tuck it into your glass, leaving the top exposed. Serve cold, with a wide straw. 

Notes

Measurement tips: If you’re working with standard measuring cups and spoons, two ounces is ¼ cup and ¾ ounce is 1 ½ tablespoons.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Cocktail
• Method: Stirred
• Cuisine: Cuban

The post Classic Mojito appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Would you look at those colors?! This roasted beet side dish is the prettiest recipe I’ve made in a long time, and the leftovers look like an abstract Easter basket.

This recipe comes from a new cookbook called Eat What You Want by Gaby Dalkin. You may know Gaby from her blog, What’s Gaby Cooking. I love Gaby’s fresh, California-style cooking and boundless enthusiasm for all things food-related!

The funny thing is that I’ve never met Gaby in person, but I feel like I know her after watching her on Instagram over the years. We share an affinity for fresh herbs and flaky sea salt, and I turn to her blog and cookbook for inspiration often. When she offered to send me a copy of her cookbook, I said yes, of course.

Her newest book features “125 recipes for real life” and I had a hard time choosing just one to share with you. I’ve been on a beet kick lately, so beets won the draw. This recipe also gave me an excuse to make Gaby’s go-to basil vinaigrette, which I’ve been meaning to try for ages.

This dish features roasted beets over thick yogurt (I used Siggi’s “skyr” instead of labneh), with fresh basil vinaigrette, avocado wedges, and a heavy sprinkling of fresh herbs. Even my husband, who’s not a fan of beets, went back for more.

Ingredient Notes

Since ingredients are harder to come by right now, I’m sharing my thoughts on potential substitutions. Here they are:

Beets

These are the star of the show, so I’m hesitant to offer any alternatives. Gaby’s right—the combination of red and yellow beets is gorgeous. This summer, I might try slices of ripe peaches and other stone fruits instead, which would yield a creamy, herbed fruit salad situation.

Shallots

I’ve never roasted shallots in this fashion before, but I’m hooked. If you can’t find them, you could slice a small red onion into 1-inch wedges instead.

Labneh

Labneh is extra-thick yogurt with an almost cream cheese-like tang. It is delicious. Gaby suggests buying it at specialty markets. I couldn’t find any labneh at Whole Foods, so I used Siggi’s brand of skyr instead (another variety of thick yogurt).

In a pinch, you could use Greek yogurt, or better yet, strain Greek yogurt through cheesecloth for a few hours. If you’re dairy free or vegan, you could try a double batch of my vegan sour cream instead.

Fresh Basil, Dill and Mint

Gaby uses all three in this recipe. If you need to simplify, you could use just one for the dressing and garnish. You could also swap less expensive flat-leaf parsley or cilantro for any of the above, since they also go well with beets.

Avocado

Since the yogurt is so creamy, you could get by without the avocado.

Please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments, and be sure to check out Gaby’s newest book. If you’re in the mood for more fun salads like this one, try these:

• Gaby’s Cucumber Salad
• Roasted & Raw Carrot Salad with Avocado
• Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle
• Blood Orange & Avocado Salad
• Layered Panzanella: Save this one for tomato season!

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Gaby’s Roasted Beets and Labneh

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 6 to 8 servings
• Diet: Vegetarian

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 17 reviews

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You’ll love this vibrant, healthy dish from the new Eat What You Want Cookbook by Gaby Dalkin. It features roasted beets over ultra creamy labneh, with avocado, homemade basil vinagrette and fresh herbs. Serve it as a side dish, salad or light meal. Recipe yields 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients

Beet Salad

• 4 bunches beets (2 to 3 pounds should be plenty), half orange and half red
• 2 shallots, peeled and sliced into quarters
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups labneh (labneh is extra-thick Greek yogurt—see notes for details)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons basil vinaigrette (below)
• 1 to 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced into wedges or chunks
• Fresh mint leaves
• Fresh dill leaves
• Flaky sea salt (or kosher salt)

Basil Vinaigrette (this makes 1 cup, so you’ll have plenty extra)

• 1 shallot, roughly chopped
• 2 cups (95 grams) tightly packed fresh basil leaves (stems removed)
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Scrub and trim the beets and slice them into wedges (about ½ to ¾-inch thick on the widest edge). Toss the beets and shallots with the olive oil and season with the red pepper flakes (go easy on the flakes if you’re sensitive to spice), salt and pepper. Transfer the seasoned beets and shallots to the prepared baking sheet (it’s ok if they overlap) and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to come to room temperature.
3. To make the basil vinaigrette: In a high-powered blender or food processor, combine the shallot, basil, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt. Blend for 1 minute, or until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Spread the labneh on a large platter, dollop with basil vinaigrette, and scatter with the beets and avocado wedges. Sprinkle with fresh mint leaves, dill, and flaky salt (don’t hold back) and serve.

Notes

This recipe comes from Cook What You Want by Gaby Dalkin. I added a few of my cooking notes in parentheses. 

Labneh note: I cheated and use Siggi’s 4% yogurt instead. Gaby suggests that you can find labneh, an extra-thick yogurt, at specialty markets. Or, strain plain Greek yogurt through a cheesecloth for a few hours.

Change it up: If you can’t find fresh basil, dill and mint, you could simplify and use just one. Feel free to substitute Italian parsley or cilantro for any/all of them—beets go well with all of these herbs.

Storage suggestions and leftovers: This dish should keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for about three days. Leftover basil vinaigrette is great on fresh, summery salads. It will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Make it dairy free/vegan: You could use vegan sour cream in place of the labneh.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Roasted
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

The post Gaby’s Roasted Beets and Labneh appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

This recipe’s title doesn’t do this beauty justice. Look at it! This watermelon salad recipe is a showstopper, if I can say so myself.

This salad starts with a base of cold, creamy herbed yogurt sauce. Then, we top it with cubed ripe watermelon, followed by crisp cucumber, lightly pickled shallot, and more fresh basil and mint.

Each element is so simple to prepare, and the end result is spectacular.

Watermelon is perfectly red and juicy this time of year, so please make this salad while you still can. It would be the perfect salad to bring to your weekend get-together.

This salad is best consumed within a couple hours of assembly. I bet your friends will be up for the challenge! Got your watermelon yet?

Watermelon Salad Ingredients

Watermelon

Only good, ripe watermelon will do. To reiterate: lousy watermelon makes lousy watermelon salad. You’ll need about half of a small watermelon for this recipe, and you’ll find ideas for the leftovers below.

Greek yogurt

Creamy Greek yogurt is the perfect hefty base for this salad. We’ll blend herbs, and a little olive oil and honey into it. Easy! If you don’t have a food processor, just chop the herbs finely and stir the ingredients together.

Fresh mint and basil

You could use one or the other, but the combination of mint and basil is so refreshing. We’ll blend these fresh herbs into the yogurt, and garnish the salad with a handful of extra herbs.

Cucumber

Cucumber offers a crisp element to this salad. I love using mini (Persian) cucumbers, since they are the perfectly bite-sized. You can also use a small cucumber—if it’s really seedy in the center, cut it in half and scoop out the seeds before slicing.

Shallot

Watermelon is sweet, and savory shallots help balance the flavors. To temper their sharp flavor and texture, we’re going to lightly pickle and chill them. You’ll simply toss the sliced shallots in some vinegar (sherry or red wine) and salt, and place the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

How to Make This Watermelon Salad

The problem with most watermelon salads is that the second you start tossing juicy watermelon with salt, it breaks down. I bypassed that issue with this layered salad concept. Here’s how it goes down:

Slice your watermelon, cucumber and shallot.

You’ll simply cut the watermelon flesh into small cubes, and thinly slice the cucumber and shallot. See photos for visuals.

Lightly pickle the shallots.

Stir some vinegar and salt into the sliced shallots, and let them chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Blend the herb sauce.

Combine yogurt, fresh herbs, olive oil, honey and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Blend until it’s smooth and pale green.

Assemble the salad.

You’ll need to do this on a large serving platter, so we have a large surface area to spread the yogurt across. Swirl yogurt all over the base, then top it with the watermelon, cucumber, shallots and vinegar, and a smattering of fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Enjoy.

Extra watermelon? Make watermelon juice, spicy watermelon margaritas, or watermelon sangria! You’ll also enjoy my arugula & watermelon salad with feta and olives.

Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you.

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Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 31 reviews

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This watermelon salad recipe is so delicious and refreshing! It features cubed ripe watermelon over mint-basil yogurt sauce, with cucumber, shallot and fresh herbs. Recipe yields 6 to 8 side servings.

Ingredients

Watermelon salad

• 3 pounds ripe seedless watermelon (about ½ small round watermelon or 4 cups cubed), cut into ¾″ cubes
• 2 mini cucumbers or 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
• ½ cup thinly sliced shallot (1 medium-to-large shallot)
• 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Small handful fresh mint and basil leaves, torn if large, for garnish
• Flaky sea salt or kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Herbed yogurt sauce

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup lightly packed combination of fresh basil and fresh mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• Pinch of fine sea salt

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Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the sliced shallot with the vinegar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss to combine, and place in the refrigerator to lightly pickle while you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. Make the yogurt sauce: In a food processor, combine the yogurt, fresh herbs, olive oil, honey, and a pinch of salt. Blend until the herbs are broken into tiny pieces and the sauce is pale green. (If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the herbs and whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.)
3. Swirl the yogurt sauce (all of it) over the base of a large serving platter. Scatter the cubed watermelon on top, followed by the cucumber. Arrange the pickled shallot on top, and spoon the leftover vinegar over the salad.
4. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil on top, sprinkle generously with fresh herbs, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. If you won’t be serving immediately, place the salad in the refrigerator to stay chilled. This salad is best served within an hour or two.

Notes

Make it dairy free/vegan: Substitute your favorite thick, dairy-free plain (unsweetened) yogurt for the Greek yogurt. Cashew-based sour cream might work, too, as long as you aren’t avoiding nuts. To make the salad vegan, use maple syrup instead of honey.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Salad
• Method: By hand
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

The post Watermelon Salad with Herbed Yogurt Sauce appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

My now-husband asked me out for spring rolls and beer for our first date. I vividly remember walking into the nearby Thai restaurant to meet him. Our waitress had to come back three times to get our order, since we could not be bothered to look at the menu.

We were too busy connecting over our love for our dogs (we each have one), coming from families of three kids (I’m the oldest; he’s the youngest), our shared love of food and travel, a million other little things…

He finally ordered us a double batch of his favorite spring rolls. I was too nervous and full from a day of recipe testing to eat much. The waitress kicked us out because the restaurant was closing. I came home and danced around in the living room with Cookie. He asked me out again.

A couple of months later, I confessed that I didn’t share his level of appreciation for those spring rolls. “Too much noodles, not enough veggies. The carrots taste like chlorine. The peanut sauce could be more bold.” He dared me to come up with something better, and I finally have.

These are the fresh, veggie-packed spring rolls I want to order at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants. I can’t say they’re 100 percent authentic, but they’re pretty close.

Of course, I came up with an irresistible peanut dipping sauce to go with them. Invite some friends over and make it a spring roll party! Ready for the recipe?

Fresh Spring Roll Ingredients

These spring rolls are refreshing, colorful and fun to make. I left out tofu (you really can’t pack enough into the rolls to make it worthwhile) and shrimp, since I don’t eat shrimp.

These filling ingredients are flexible. You can use more carrot instead of cucumber, or extra cabbage in place of the lettuce. Here’s my favorite filling combination:

• Thin rice noodles
• Butter lettuce
• Red cabbage (or green cabbage)
• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Jalapeño (skip if you’re very sensitive to spice)
• Green onion, cilantro and mint

You’ll need basic pantry ingredients to make the peanut sauce: peanut butter, rice vinegar, tamari or soy sauce, honey or maple syrup, toasted sesame oil and fresh garlic.

How to Wrap Spring Rolls

Spring rolls can seem intimidating, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly, I promise. If you have folded a burrito before, you can definitely make spring rolls! Don’t stress if your spring rolls aren’t totally perfect. A few tips:

1) Make the base

Start by placing a few pieces of lettuce about one-third from the bottom of the circular wrapper. The width of your fillings will determine the width of the spring roll. You want to leave a couple inches open on the two sides for wrapping purposes.

2) Pile on the ingredients

Then, add the remaining ingredients. The exact order doesn’t matter much. Just pile them on top, making sure to take up the proper width. It’s ok if the fillings spill upward. I try to leave the top one-third of the wrapper open for wrapping.

3) Roll the filling

Gently pull the bottom of the wrapper up and over the lower portion of the filling. Try to keep the fillings compact as you roll upwards, just until the fillings are enveloped.

4) Envelope the sides and roll it up

Pull each side over to enclose the filling. Continue wrapping upward until your spring roll is fully wrapped!

Watch How to Make Spring Rolls

Please let me know how your spring rolls turn out in the comments. I hope they’re a big hit.

Craving more peanut sauce? Me, too. You’re going to love these:

• Crunchy Thai Peanut & Quinoa Salad
• Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles
• Mango “Burrito” Bowls with Crispy Tofu and Peanut Sauce or Cabbage Wraps
• Peanut Dipping Sauce

You’ll also enjoy the fresh sesame soba spring rolls in my cookbook, Love Real Food (page 98).

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Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 8 spring rolls

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 203 reviews

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These Vietnamese spring rolls are fresh, not fried! They’re the perfect party appetizer or light meal. The peanut sauce sends them over the top. Recipe yields 8 spring rolls.

Ingredients

Spring Rolls

• 2 ounces rice vermicelli or maifun brown rice noodles*
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup torn butter lettuce, ribs removed
• 1 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
• 2 Persian (mini) cucumbers or 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced or sliced into strips with a julienne peeler
• 2 medium jalapeños, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh mint
• 8 sheets rice paper (spring roll wrappers)

Peanut Sauce

• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed

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Instructions

1. To make the spring rolls: Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles just until al dente, according to package directions. Drain, rinse them under cool water, and return them to the pot. Off the heat, toss the noodles with the sesame oil and salt, and set aside.
2. Fill a shallow pan (a pie pan or 9″ round cake pan works great) with an inch of water. Fold a lint-free tea towel in half and place it next to the dish. Make sure your prepared fillings are within reach. Combine the green onion, cilantro and mint in a small bowl, and stir.
3. Place one rice paper in the water and let it rest for about 20 seconds, give or take. You’ll learn to go by feel here—wait until the sheet is pliable but not super floppy. Carefully lay it flat on the towel.
4. Leaving about 1 inch of open rice paper around the edges, cover the lower third of the paper with a few pieces of butter lettuce, followed by a small handful of rice noodles, some cabbage, and a few strips of carrot, cucumber and jalapeño. Sprinkle generously with the herb mix.
5. Fold the lower edge up over the fillings, rolling upward just until the filling is compactly enclosed. Fold over the short sides like you would to make a burrito. Lastly, roll it up. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
6. To make the peanut sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, rice vinegar, tamari, honey, sesame oil, and garlic. Whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons water, as needed to make a super creamy but dip-able sauce.
7. Serve the spring rolls with peanut sauce on the side. You can serve them whole, or sliced in half on the diagonal with a sharp chef’s knife.

Notes

*Noodle note: I always opt for whole grains when I can, so I used Annie Chun’s brand of maifun brown rice noodles. I found them with the Asian ingredients at Whole Foods.

Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten free noodles and tamari (not soy sauce, which typically contains gluten).

Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey.

Make it peanut free: Substitute almond butter (if not avoiding nuts altogether) or sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter.

Prepare in advance: You can definitely mix together the peanut sauce in advance. You can also prepare the veggies several hours or up to 1 day in advance, and store them in an air-tight container (they will lose freshness with time). The spring roll wrappers tend to dry out with time or once chilled, so spring rolls are best assembled shortly before serving. If you’d like to keep them fresh for an hour or two, store them under a lightly damp, lint-free tea towel at room temperature (the skin tends to harden in the refrigerator).

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Appetizer
• Method: By hand
• Cuisine: Vietnamese

The post Fresh Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Finally! I’ve figured out how to make the best tabbouleh. It’s just as good, if not better than, my favorite local Middle Eastern restaurant’s. If you try it, I think you’ll agree.

Tabbouleh (also spelled tabouli) is a super fresh herb and bulgur salad, with parsley being the number one ingredient. It’s dotted with diced cucumber and tomato, and dressed simply with olive oil and lemon juice. It’s refreshing, light and packed with healthy ingredients.

You’ll often find tabbouleh as a side dish on Mediterranean menus. It’s right at home with hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, feta, olives… all of my favorite things.

I’ve attempted tabbouleh at home over the years, and I’m so pleased to share what I’ve learned with you today. Ready to make some great tabbouleh?

Tabbouleh Ingredients

Bulgur

Bulgur is parboiled cracked wheat, so it’s a whole grain. Once prepared, it’s tender and fluffy. Bulgur is often confused with couscous, but they’re not the same (couscous is actually tiny pasta).

Authentic tabbouleh is made with super fine grain (#1) bulgur and it’s soaked rather than cooked, but I haven’t been able to find it at regular grocery stores. There are several other varieties of bulgurs, and you’ll probably find only one option at the store. So, cook (or soak) it according to the package directions.

Fresh Parsley

Authentic tabbouli uses a ton of parsley. That’s why this salad is so green! I tried both flat-leaf and curly, and for once, curly is the way to go. Even when it’s chopped very small, curly parsley offers some extra volume that makes this tabbouleh so pleasant to eat.

Fresh Mint and Green Onion

Mint is standard and adds even more fresh flavor. That said, it can be expensive if you don’t grow it at home, so you can skip it if you’d rather.

Green onion is my mild onion of choice. It’s perfect in tabbouleh.

Cucumber and Tomato

Fresh cucumber and tomato add more texture and color, and build on the refreshing factor. Have I said refreshing enough yet?

Lebanese readers have informed me that cucumber is unusual in tabbouleh, which is news to me! You can skip it if you’d like, but it’s quite nice.

Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Garlic

Tabbouleh is dressed in a simple combination of olive oil and lemon juice. You won’t find garlic in every tabbouleh recipe, but I think that one clove makes this recipe extra delicious.

How to Make the Best Tabbouleh

1) Salt your tomato and cucumber, and drain off the excess juice.

Fortunately, this doesn’t take any extra time. Tomato and cucumber release a lot of moisture when they’re exposed to salt, and will make your tabbouleh way too watery if you do not drain it off.

Simply combine the tomato and cucumber in a bowl with some salt (you’ll find these instructions in the recipe below), and set it aside while you chop the parsley. Drain off the excess juice before you stir the salad together. Easy!

2) Use lots of parsley and chop it finely.

This recipe calls for three bunches of parsley, and the easiest way to chop that much parsley is in your food processor. You can do it by hand, but it will take a while. Don’t worry about removing the thin parsley stems—they offer a lot of great flavor.

3) Season sufficiently with lemon juice and salt.

Tabbouleh should be zingy and full of flavor, and you’ll need to use enough lemon and salt to get there.

Watch How to Make Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh Serving Suggestions

Tabbouleh is typically served chilled or at room temperature. It’s a perfect side dish or salad to offer with Mediterranean/Middle Eastern meals. Here are a few suggestions:

• Dips and spreads: Creamy Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Tzatziki, Tahini Sauce
• Crispy Baked Falafel
• Fattoush Salad with Mint Dressing
• Mujaddara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions)
• Dukkah with bread and olive oil

Please let me know how your tabbouleh turns out in the comments! I hope you love it.

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Best Tabbouleh

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 235 reviews

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Learn how to make delicious, authentic tabbouleh at home! This tabbouleh (also spelled tabouli) is even better than your favorite Lebanese restaurant’s. Recipe yields 6 servings (a little over 1 cup each).

Ingredients

• ½ cup bulgur
• 1 cup diced cucumber (1 small-to-medium)
• 1 cup diced tomato* (1 large)
• 1 teaspoon fine salt, divided
• 3 medium bunches curly parsley
• ⅓ cup (⅔ ounce) chopped fresh mint (optional but recommended—you can chop it in the food processor with the parsley)
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced green onion
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced

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Instructions

1. Cook or soak the bulgur until tender according to package directions. Drain off any excess water, and set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine the diced cucumber and tomato in a medium bowl with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Stir, and let the mixture rest for at least 10 minutes or until you’re ready to mix the salad.
3. To prepare the parsley, cut off the thick stems. Then, finely chop the parsley and remaining stems—you can do this by hand, but it’s much easier in a food processor with the standard “S” blade. Process 1 bunch at a time (each should yield about 1 cup chopped), transferring the chopped parsley to a large serving bowl before proceeding with the next.
4. Add the cooled bulgur, chopped fresh mint (if using) and green onion to the bowl of parsley. Strain off and discard the cucumber and tomato juice that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl (this ensures that your tabbouleh isn’t too watery). Add the strained cucumber and tomato to the bowl.
5. In a small measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Pour it into the salad and stir to combine. Taste, and adjust if necessary—add another tablespoon of lemon juice for zing, or salt for more overall flavor.
6. If you have the time, let the salad rest for 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors mingle. Otherwise, you can serve it immediately or chill it for later. Tabbouleh will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.

Notes

Make it gluten free: Bulgur is not gluten free (it’s cracked wheat). Substitute quinoa for an untraditional gluten-free option. You’ll use the same amount (½ cup) uncooked quinoa, or 1 ½ cups cooked leftover quinoa. Here’s how to cook quinoa.

*Tomato note: Use the most ripe and red tomatoes you can find! If you’re making this salad when tomatoes aren’t in season, cherry tomatoes might be your best bet.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Salad
• Method: Various
• Cuisine: Lebanese

The post Best Tabbouleh appeared first on Cookie and Kate.

Tzatziki! Tsaht-ZEE-kee! Otherwise known as that yogurt and cucumber sauce you love at Greek restaurants but worry about mispronouncing (hear the correct pronunciation here).

Tzatziki is made simply with yogurt, drained cucumber, olive oil, fresh herbs (usually mint or dill), garlic, lemon juice and salt. It’s a refreshing chilled sauce, dip or spread.

I traveled to Greece last fall and ordered tzatziki at every restaurant. I’m serious. I enjoyed tzatziki with every single meal, even breakfast. This recipe tastes just like authentic tzatziki.

I tend to associate tzatziki with Greek food, but you’ll find it served across the Mediterranean and Middle East, sometimes under different names or in slightly different forms.

Tzatziki is often served with grilled meats and gyros, but I can’t think of a grilled or roasted vegetable it wouldn’t play nicely with. You can also serve up some tzatziki with your next appetizer spread. Let’s make some already!

Uses for Tzatziki

Grilled Vegetables

• Bell peppers
• Mushrooms
• Carrots
• Asparagus
• Green beans
• Corn on the cob

Appetizer Spreads

• Toasted pita wedges
• Crisp raw vegetables
• Olives
• Cheese and crackers
• Hummus
• Zhoug or Shatta (Middle-Eastern hot sauces)

Falafel, Sandwiches and Salads

• Falafel
• Pita sandwiches (you could use it instead of the avocado in that recipe)
• Tabbouleh
• Lentil salad
• Chickpea salad

My Tzatziki Technique

Fortunately, tzatziki is super easy to whip together. The only trick is to properly drain the cucumber before mixing it into the yogurt. Otherwise, cucumber waters down the sauce too much. Salting the grated cucumber and letting the excess moisture drip out takes a while.

The easiest and most efficient way to get rid of the excess moisture is to lightly squeeze the grated cucumber over the sink. The only wait required in my recipe is to let the tzatziki rest for five minutes after you mix it all together, to let the flavors meld. At that point, you can serve it right away or chill it for later.

Tzatziki Nutrition & Yogurt Notes

Nutritionally speaking, tzatziki is a creamy but light sauce. You can dollop it generously on your food without adding a lot of calories (unlike, say, mayonnaise or ranch dressing). It’s made mostly with Greek yogurt and cucumber, after all.

I haven’t found a noticeable difference in texture whether I use whole-milk yogurt, low-fat or non-fat, so any of those will work. Traditional Greek tzatziki is made with strained goat or sheep’s yogurt, but it’s hard to find those here. The Greek yogurt sold here in the U.S. is strained yogurt (that’s why it’s thicker and higher in protein than regular yogurt), so I use that.

As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments! I’m excited to hear how it turns out for you and how you serve it.

Watch How to Make Tzatziki Sauce

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Best Tzatziki

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 2 1/2 cups

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 381 reviews

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Learn how to make tzatziki, a traditional Greek yogurt and cucumber sauce with fresh herbs. Tzatziki is a refreshing sauce or dip, and it’s so easy to make! This basic recipe yields about 2 ½ cups; multiply if necessary.

Ingredients

• 2 cups grated cucumber (from about 1 medium 10-ounce cucumber, no need to peel or seed the cucumber first, grate on the large holes of your box grater)
• 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint and/or dill
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

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Instructions

1. Working with one big handful at a time, lightly squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Transfer the squeezed cucumber to a serving bowl, and repeat with the remaining cucumber.
2. Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the bowl, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add additional chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, and/or salt, if necessary (I thought this batch was just right as-is).
3. Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later. Leftover tzatziki keeps well, chilled, for about 4 days.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my cookbook, Love Real Food. 

Make it dairy free/vegan: Substitute an equal amount of cashew sour cream for the yogurt, and thin the tzatziki with a small splash of water if necessary.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

• Category: Sauce
• Method: By hand
• Cuisine: Greek

The post How to Make Tzatziki appeared first on Cookie and Kate.